Laura Woods reacts as Andros Townsend shares Everton and Sean Dyche story on talkSPORT
TalkSPORT anchor Laura Woods purred as she listened to Andros Townsend describe the support he received at Everton during his rehab process following the anterior cruciate ligament injury which ruled him out of action for 13 months.
Woods, who recently announced that she is leaving her role with the station, was intently engaged as the former Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace player shared the support that was provided to him by Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche.
Townsend is leaving Goodison Park upon the expiry of his two-year contract at the end of the month and will be looking to kick-start his career elsewhere, after returning to the pitch in a game for the Toffees’ Under-21 side against Leicester City, last month.
The 31-year-old detailed the personal touch that was afforded to him by the current Blues boss, in particular, live on talkSPORT, as shared on Twitter.
“I’ve been lucky, I had two great managers, Frank Lampard, firstly, he was great with me and tried to include me in any way possible and then Sean Dyche came in,” he said.
“The first thing he (Dyche) said to me was ‘Andros, how are you? I don’t care about football. How are you?’
“He tried to include me, he cared about me as a person. He said, ‘Andros I’d love to have you fit but first and foremost as a human being, I want you to be well. Get yourself sorted mentally and then you can think about re-integrating with the group.’
Significant boost
The mental aspect of a player’s welfare and fitness is often overlooked by fans and those of us on the outside, but it is clear to gauge how much Townsend has appreciated and benefited from the counsel of his bosses in recent times.
It would be easy for the managers to keep injured players on the fringes but this example shows the right approach and it has provided a significant boost to the England international in his aim to get back to fitness and form.
That will come at another club, other than Everton, so it will be interesting to see just where he ends up.
Townsend may be approaching his 32nd birthday but he should still have plenty to offer at a competitive level. He may need to take a step down from the Premier League in order to get the game time that he craves, but he will certainly have offers on the table for the next chapter of his playing career.